Letter 5: Good Job
We are thrilled to have our second contributor, Natalie Broulette, join us today!
In the rush of our day-to-day busyness, it’s easy to forget just how many hats each of us wear. Natalie personifies this to a tee. A talented (and humorous!) writer and editor, mom to three, and a children’s book author, Natalie’s juggling act is impressive. I was fortunate to be able to work with her on a gorgeous city guide to Savannah, Georgia and have since stayed connected with her through Instagram. I knew our readers were in for a treat when she agreed to come on board as a contributor to The Learning Curve. Natalie shares genuine, endearing truths that are certain to resonate with each of you.
“Some days are diamonds, some days are rocks.”
Tom Petty
Last week marked the end of my oldest child’s year of kindergarten — remote kindergarten. The whole school year was an exercise in making peace with the imperfect and learning that on some days, “good enough” will suffice. I feel like we crawled across the finish line, but we did it, and I’m taking a moment to rest in that.
2020 was a life-changing year for so many people. Here’s what mine looked like: in April, I welcomed a third baby; in July, I was laid off from my job of 10 years; and in August, my oldest son began his virtual school year.
Everything seemed to align for me to stay home with my kids, so I bought a new desk, refreshed our art supplies, and put my son’s name on my Zoom account. My role for nine months was managing his schedule, helping him with his online classes and assignments, and photographing and uploading his completed classwork each day. How parents were able to balance remote school and their own jobs baffles me. If you’re one of those parents, I bow down.
I loved watching my child’s brain work when presented with something new. He learned to read this year, an interest in math was sparked, and he drew pictures and wrote words that will be stored with my keepsakes. I felt fortunate for all the mornings we weren’t rushing out the door and for the days I could watch my son laugh and enjoy his classmates and teacher.
I was also thankful for the extra time at home with my new baby and three-year-old daughter, but it all came with losing a job that was rewarding and that I did well. I felt like I was flailing as a stay-at-home mom and pseudo-teacher.
Every week was a mix of beautiful moments and difficult struggles, laughter and tears, magic and mess.
There were days when it seemed everyone was melting down simultaneously. There was frustration with technology and with siblings, and many days of just being tired of “computer school.”
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him pay attention to a screen for 35 minutes.
I constantly second-guessed what was best for me and my family. It felt like I was choosing between keeping us safe and keeping us sane. The idea that millions of parents around the world were dealing with the same struggles — and some far greater ones — gave me a sense of peace, so we carried on as best we could.
And now, it’s done.
My son completed kindergarten, my daughter is eager to start school, and my baby, born at the start of the pandemic, is now a busy one-year-old learning how to talk. His current favorite phrase is “good job.” It’s so sweet to hear him encourage himself and clap his little hands together.
Whatever struggles you faced over the past year, you’re here, you made it work, and right now, that’s enough. Rest in that.
Good job.
My 5 Favorites
I would watch Bluey even if I didn’t have kids. It is so charming, so touching, and it gives our family tons of ideas for imaginative play.
Bioderma Sensibio H2O is a cleansing water and it’s the fastest way to remove makeup, even mascara, and leaves my skin feeling refreshed. You can find it here and here.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream has been my go-to gift during the pandemic for new babies and quarantine birthdays because what’s more fun than getting ice cream in the mail?
I own this swimsuit from Eberjey in two colors. It has full coverage and a comfortable fit but still manages to be flirty and fun.
After the kids are in bed, my husband and I sit on the couch and scroll through TikTok. It’s a nice reminder of all the talented, hilarious people in the world. Our current favorites are One Small Step for Neil, Chipotle for Dinner, and No Yelling on the Bus.
“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
Maya Angelou
With gratitude,
Natalie Broulette
P.S. We’ve all truly “made it work” recently. Natalie shares her own “magic and mess” situations. Do you have one of these times of which you are most proud? Share it with us in the comments!
Also, seriously, Bluey is the absolute best children's show ever.
I loved reading Natalie's story. I remember early in the pandemic, just feeling so completely overwhelmed. Like so many others, my husband and I were both working full time remotely, facilitating virtual kindergarten for our 5-year-old, and trying desperately to keep our 2-year-old entertained. One Sunday, while watching virtual church, our pastor was asking volunteers to help deliver care packages to people in need, and he listed several groups. One of those groups was parents of young kids. For some reason, this was just the most important and validating thing. I think I'd been spending every day telling myself that we didn't have it all that bad, that we were really ok, and that so many people were so much worse off. While those things were true, I wasn't really allowing myself to acknowledge the hard that I was experiencing. That moment of hearing my need validated publicly allowed me to name it for myself. I think acknowledging just how hard things were helped me to cope with them better.